1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hybrid connector integrally having an electrical connector portion and an optical connector portion which are completed through simplified assembling steps.
2. Related Art
Invarious types of vehicles such as an automobile, there are provided an extremely large number of signals from various sensors and control signals for various electronic instruments. When each control signal is transmitted through each individual signal path line, a large number of signal path lines are required, so that a wiring harness thereof undesirably becomes heavy. Furthermore, various types of recent electronic instruments require transmitting information having a larger capacity and a higher density, also resulted in a heavy weight wiring harness thereof. Therefore, a recent wiring harness partially includes optical fiber cables (or optical fiber cords), for example, for connection between nodes of the wiring harness.
Partial replacement of electrical cables with optical cables in the wiring harness may cause a complicated connection work of electrical connector portions and optical connector portions, for example, in a car production process. Thus, recently, a hybrid connector integrally having an electrical connector portion and an optical connector portion has been developed for practical use. A pair of such hybrid connectors are brought to a complete state of electrical and optical connection by a single coupling step.
However, such a hybrid connector integrally having an electrical connector portion and an optical connector portion includes a large number of parts. Furthermore, the optical connector portion requires a laborious assembling step, causing an increased man hour thereof.
In view of the above-mentioned disadvantage, an object of the present invention is to provide a hybrid connector and an assembling method in which the hybrid connector is completed with ease.
For achieving the object, the present invention provides an assembling method of a hybrid connector integrally having an electrical connector portion and an optical connector portion, the optical connector portion including at least one optical element module having an optical element, a sleeve provided with an optical waveguide, a housing formed with a cylindrical holder, and a case for holding the optical element modules. The housing also accommodates the electrical connector portion. The method includes:
a first assembling step for inserting the sleeve into the cylindrical holder until a half insertion state of the sleeve into the cylindrical holder,
a second assembling step for pressing the optical element module against an end surface of the sleeve so that the sleeve is further inserted into the cylindrical holder to become in a complete insertion state, and
a third assembling step for engaging the case with the cylindrical holder with the optical element module being held by the case so that the optical element module is secured at its final position.
The first assembling step inserts the sleeve into the cylindrical holder until a half insertion state thereof. The second assembling step further urges the optical element module against the sleeve, which further inserts the sleeve into the cylindrical holder to be completely received in the cylindrical holder. The second assembling step assembles simultaneously the sleeve and the optical element module into the connector. This provides an effective assembling work thereof.
Since the optical element module pushes the sleeve into the cylindrical holder, a clearance optical loss between the sleeve and the optical element module becomes minimum.
The third assembling step causes the case to hold the optical element module while the case engages with the cylindrical holder. Thereby, the optical element module is finally positioned, enabling a simplified simultaneous assembling step of the optical element module and the case.
Preferably, the first assembling step includes that the sleeve is inserted into the cylindrical holder until the sleeve abuts against a resilient protrusion formed in the cylindrical holder, and the second assembling step includes that the sleeve is further inserted into the cylindrical holder while the resilient protrusion is depressed by the sleeve.
Thus, in the first assembling step, the sleeve is smoothly inserted into the cylindrical holder, enabling an efficient assembling step. Meanwhile, in the second assembling step, the sleeve is pressed into the cylindrical holder against the depressed protrusion. This provides an adequate insertion force to finally position the sleeve in the cylindrical holder.
Further preferably, the first assembling step moves the sleeve into the cylindrical holder by a first distance, while the second assembling step moves the sleeve into the cylindrical holder by a second distance, the second distance being smaller than the first distance.
Thus, the press-fit insertion work of the sleeve is minimized.
The present invention provides a plug-type hybrid connector integrally having an electrical connector portion and an optical connector portion. The optical connector portion comprises at least one optical element module having an optical element, a sleeve provided with an optical waveguide, a housing formed with a cylindrical holder, and a case for holding the optical element modules. The housing also accommodates the electrical connector portion. The optical element module can push an end surface of the sleeve so that the sleeve is inserted into the cylindrical holder to become in a complete insertion state, and the case can engage with the cylindrical holder with the optical element module being held by the case so that the optical element module is secured at its final position.
Preferably, the cylindrical holder has a resilient protrusion formed in the cylindrical holder. The sleeve abuts against the resilient protrusion at a half insertion state of the sleeve into the cylindrical holder. The resilient protrusion is depressed by the sleeve to press-fit the sleeve at a complete insertion state of the sleeve into the cylindrical holder.
Preferably, the resilient protrusion is positioned such that a first distance of the sleeve into the cylindrical holder for reaching the half insertion state is larger than a second distance of the sleeve into the cylindrical holder for moving the sleeve from the half insertion state to the complete insertion state.